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  • Expressly pissed off

    Heard about this from a coworker.

    We no longer have an 'express' lane (you know, 12 items or less ... that sort of thing). I don't know if it's permanent but at the moment, it's the new normal.

    So the other day, the poor coworker who was overseeing the self-checkouts was accosted by an angry customer (apparently not for the first time).

    SC: "WHY ISN'T THERE AN EXPRESS LANE ANYMORE??"

    CW tries to explain.

    SC: "I DON'T WANT TO STAND IN A LONG LINE!!"

    CW: "Sir, you can always use the self-checkouts."

    SC: "I DON'T WANNA USE THE SELF-CHECKOUTS!!"

    Well, then, sir, YOU have a problem, since you have to pay for your groceries.

    Notes: TBH, I'm not sure myself what the reason is for the disappearance of the express lane. The few times I've been asked, I've just made up reasonable-sounding crap ("We have so many people now coming in with huge orders, since they don't shop very often anymore due to COVID, that we want to keep the lines moving as quickly as possible ... blah blah blah."

    Also, self-checkout has its own lineup separate from the one for the staffed registers, and while I won't say there are never lineups there, it's virtually never as long as the lineup for a staffed register.
    Customer service: More efficient than a Dementor's kiss
    ~ Mr Hero

  • #2
    I don't even know what to say. These people are so helpless.
    "Is it hot in here to you? It's very warm, isn't it?"--Nero, probably

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    • #3
      In the past, many people, both at my previous store and this one, told me they don't want to use self-checkout because "it takes away jobs." And I would smile and thank them.

      But this time is no longer that time. And if anything is likely to take away cashiers' jobs in this time, it'll be the click-and-collect program. Things have changed and it's highly unlikely they're going back.

      I understand that nobody wants to stand in a line of 15 people, 10 of whom have $400 to $500 worth of groceries in their overloaded buggies. But the reality at this point is: either stand in that line ... or stand in the (much shorter) line for the self-checkout machines.

      Or, of course, shop elsewhere ... but THAT isn't something I'm likely to tell my customers, LOL.
      Customer service: More efficient than a Dementor's kiss
      ~ Mr Hero

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      • #4
        I'm not thrilled with long checkout lines, and self-checkouts seem to hate me, but those are the options if I must shop in person at busy times and either there is no express or I have too many items to qualify (yes, I'm one of those who will do a cart/basket census to make sure I'm not abusing express). Throwing a tantrum at cashiers about decisions made above their pay grade does not strike me as a productive response.
        "Crazy may always be open for business, but on the full moon, it has buy one get one free specials." - WishfulSpirit

        "Sometimes customers remind me of zombies, but I'm pretty sure that zombies are smarter." - MelindaJoy77

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        • #5
          I bet the people who bitch about SCO "taking away jobs" don't think about all the jobs lost because they're putting their own groceries in their carts instead of getting the shop staff to do it for them, as happened before the explosion of supermarkets...
          This was one of those times where my mouth says "have a nice day" but my brain says "go step on a Lego". - RegisterAce
          I can't make something magically appear to fulfill all your hopes and dreams. Believe me, if I could I'd be the first person I'd help. - Trixie

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          • #6
            Ultimately, it is the demand for lower prices that takes away jobs.
            Life is too short to not eat popcorn.
            Save the Ales!
            Toys for Tots at Rooster's Cafe

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            • #7
              When I was at the Bullseye they put in the SCOs and after that we suddenly had more cashiers. I suspect I know why they add jobs: fewer people were abandoning their carts because of long lines (not enough cashiers) and so sales went up, thus creating more money for payroll.
              "Is it hot in here to you? It's very warm, isn't it?"--Nero, probably

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              • #8
                My store cut cashiers when they put in SCOs...resulting in complaints of 'not enough cashiers' and while sales did increase I suspect there is a fair amount of theft to offset that (due to a lack of eyeballs). I tried to warn them...
                "I am quite confident that I do exist."
                "Excuse me, I'm making perfect sense. You're just not keeping up." The Doctor

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                • #9
                  Some folks call 'em "Self Steals" for a reason
                  "For a musician, the SNES sound engine is like using Crayola Crayons. Nobuo Uematsu used Crayola Crayons to paint the Sistine Chapel." - Jeremy Jahns (re: "Dancing Mad")
                  "The difference between an amateur and a master is that the master has failed way more times." - JoCat
                  "Thinking is difficult, therefore let the herd pronounce judgment!" ~ Carl Jung
                  "There's burning bridges, and then there's the lake just to fill it with gasoline." - Wiccy, reddit
                  "Retail is a cruel master, and could very well be the most educational time of many people's lives, in its own twisted way." - me
                  "Love keeps her in the air when she oughta fall down...tell you she's hurtin' 'fore she keens...makes her a home." - Capt. Malcolm Reynolds, "Serenity" (2005)
                  Acts of Gord – Read it, Learn it, Love it!
                  "Our psychic powers only work if the customer has a mind to read." - me

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                  • #10
                    When I worked at the wholesale club and we put in SCOs, I got a few of those "taking away jobs" complaints from customers. My response was, "We put them in at the end of the summer, when we lost a lot of people going back to school, so we didn't lose anyone we weren't about to lose anyway."
                    PWNADE(TM) - Serve up a glass today! | PWNZER - An act of pwnage so awesome, it's like the victim got hit by a tank.

                    There are only Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse because I choose to walk!

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                    • #11
                      Yeah, I get the "I don't want to use them because I don't want you to lose your job!" thing all the time. It's well-meaning, but annoying nevertheless.

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